


Lion Goddess

by legendarydesvender (svensationalist)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, POV Multiple, POV Second Person, Zine: Years & Years
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2019-02-27 21:15:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13256781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/svensationalist/pseuds/legendarydesvender
Summary: “Lion Goddess,” the Elder prays, “your story will never die.  You came to us in our great time of need thousands of years ago, taking on the form of a mighty lion.  Before you left, you bade our ancestors to protect your home, to prepare for your return, to wait for a mighty winged warrior that will protect us in your stead.”The tales are carved in stone; you know them all by heart.  Your people will always remember and remain faithful to a promise made in the past.  The Lion Goddess will return some day even if you will not live to see her.***A story about Allura as a mythological figure at different points in time.  Written for the Allura zine "Years & Years".





	Lion Goddess

**Author's Note:**

> The zine's theme was "Identity" and I chose to depict Allura as a goddess-like mythological figure. Special thanks to my friends in The History Channel™ server for providing feedback as I was writing.
> 
> Content warnings: Implied character deaths and implied genocide in the second section.

 

* * *

 

 

_Myths are narrative patterns that give significance to our existence._

― Rollo May

 

 

* * *

 

 

**{ Past — Arus }**

 

 

You take your place in the circle of people around the large bonfire.  The flickering flames make shadows dance, like a precursor of what will come later that night. The entire village is gathered to honour and worship the Lion Goddess; it is a tradition that your people have kept for many generations.

 

The Elder stands and a hush falls over the crowd. You listen with rapt attention as she begins to speak, despite hearing it all before.

 

“Lion Goddess,” the Elder prays, “your story will never die.  You came to us in our great time of need thousands of years ago, taking on the form of a mighty lion.  Before you left, you bade our ancestors to protect your home, to prepare for your return, to wait for a mighty winged warrior that will protect us in your stead.”

 

The tales are carved in stone; you know them all by heart.  Your people will always remember and remain faithful to a promise made in the past.  The Lion Goddess will return some day even if you will not live to see her.

 

When the Elder finishes recounting the legends, you say with the other villagers: “May the Lion Goddess live forever and walk amongst us once more.”

 

Everyone cheers.  It has been another good year; there will be no sacrifices.  You know someone will die in the future for the Lion Goddess — but not tonight, and borrowed time is reason enough to rejoice.  

 

The music starts and you join the Dance of Celebration until the sun rises.

 

 

* * *

 

 

**{ Present — Balmera X-95-Vox }**

 

 

You watch your home pulse with light as Allura kneels, ethereal and breathtaking.  Seemingly immortal.  Crystals bloom across the Balmera’s surface, more than any living balmeran has seen for generations.  You have never witnessed anything more beautiful.  

 

Then Allura falls and you realize she is mortal after all.

 

As you hold her in your arms, you think to yourself that she is both a saviour and a true friend.  Your people lived on borrowed time but she brought hope and a future.  “Allura is amazing,” you say to Hunk while watching the sun rise for the first time.  He laughs and agrees.

 

You think you could die for her — and you will, though you do not know it yet.

 

The war continues and Voltron stops being just a legend.  They are real. _Allura_ is real.  She is no myth but that does not diminish your awe of her.  Your people’s deities slowly faded from memory after being enslaved for so long, but you wonder if you befriended a new goddess in the making.  Every time Allura returns to the Balmera, your faith and love for her grows a little stronger.

 

Eventually, the Galra also return.  “Emperor Zarkon may have ignored your treachery but Prince Lotor despises… loose ends.”  The commander spits disdainfully at your feet.  “We know you have a distress beacon.  Send a signal to Voltron without telling them it is a trap and your lives will be spared.”

 

You realize that you are still living on borrowed time even after being saved.  You look at the unwavering aim of the sentries’ guns, thinking _this is familiar_ ; you look at the unwavering resolve on the faces of your people, thinking _this is familiar too_.  Strangely, nobody is afraid.

 

The Galra say “vrepit sa” like a pledge of allegiance to their empire, but it is fear and zealotry disguised as loyalty.  You wonder why the Galra would die for a tyrant that would not die for them in return.   You remember Allura collapsing from exhaustion — _she almost died for us_ — and make your choice.

 

You say “we will not send the signal”; your borrowed time finally ends with the knowledge that your friends will be safe for a little longer.

 

 

* * *

 

  

**{ Future — Nova Altea }**

 

 

You breathe slowly in the quiet of your room, letting the gentle scent of juniberry blossoms calm you.  In, out, in, out.  You will not have time for yourself later in front of millions, but you do now.

 

It is the Day of Memory, marking the anniversary of the Galra Empire’s final defeat.  More importantly, it is the date that honours all the lives lost during the millennia-long galactic war.  Voltron’s paladins insisted long ago that the universe needs to remember history lest it be repeated. As her only living descendant, you were asked to talk about Allura.

 

There is a secret passed in your family, a deep secret that your great grandmother held in her heart until she whispered it on her deathbed.  In another reality, she was an Empress _—_ a living legend, feared and worshipped across the universe.  The other Alteans used zealotry like loyalty; they would die for a tyrant that would not die for them in return.  She knew this was not what she wanted in her own reality.

 

 _Do you know what it is like to become a myth?_ she said.   _You become an idea — a thing, instead of a person.  I was just a girl, but people turned me into something more.  All that faith in me, in all of us… it was a lot to live up to._

 

You never met her but you heard the stories like everyone else.  Voltron continued to defend the universe long after the Galra Empire crumbled.  Different paladins were chosen to replace the old.  A new home was made for the last two Alteans and their distant diaspora.   Your great grandmother lived through it all, a goddess of change and healing that helped people until the very end.  She took her Advisor’s words to heart; you cannot always leave the fate of the universe in the hands of a giant weapon.

 

To the universe, Allura is a legend; to you, she is also a lovingly retold bedtime story about finding family.  A real person.

 

Someone knocks on your door to let you know that the memorial ceremony is soon starting.  You breathe in and out slowly, tuck a juniberry blossom in your hair for luck, then say you are ready.  You leave your room, determined to share your great grandmother’s final words in your speech today: _Voltron was a legendary symbol of hope and peace, but I just wanted to be a friend worth following._

 

 

* * *

 

  

**{ Future — Arus }**

 

 

Your villagers sit in a circle around the large bonfire and look at you attentively.  You recite a legend you know by heart, praying like the many Elders before you: “Allura, your story will never die…”

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Title and fic inspiration comes from the Arusians calling Allura "Lion Goddess". I was interested in the concept of 'becoming a legend', how other normal people throughout the universe might view Allura, how history tends to loop back on itself, and the legacies you want vs the legacies people make about you.
> 
> 2\. This was my first attempt at writing in 2nd person POV, so it was fun to experiment with and I'm pretty happy with the result. What do you guys think?
> 
> 3\. I have been yelled at repeatedly by my friends for killing Shay and all the Balmerans.  
>  
> 
> Thanks so much for reading!
> 
> Tumblr @legendarydesvender


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